The Devil's Angels
by Tolanya
Summary: Albel is a demon, Fayt is a human. They meet and fall in love when Albel is on Earth, and together they change the fate of the world. Much violence and yaoi, ye have been warned. Unless of course, you adore violence and yaoi. Then come on in!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I'm back, bitches, and this is my disclaimer. Star Ocean is not mine, but your soul will be soon.

**Date Posted: **Halloween, 2006

**Author's Note:** Hey everyone, Tolanya is back. Sorry for the delay, it's been since March or something since I posted anything. Everything's so damn chaotic in Tolanya's life! But in any case, I am able to write and this is the amazing, sexy, bloody, CHAPTER ONE. And hello to all my new readers, I luff you!

**Chapter One.**

In his hand, he held a newly sharpened steel knife. He clutched the knife tightly, his grip on the weapon that of a practiced expert. Keen ears heard a door slowly swing open somewhere in the distance. A man's voice hummed a quiet tune to himself, and footsteps grew closer to his hiding spot behind a kitchen counter.

Before the man even knew who was attacking him, the cold steel was buried in his chest, a river of blood flowing from the fresh wound. The smell of human blood heightened his senses, made him feel more aware of everything. He smiled at the man, the cruel smile of a murderer.

He got his first good look at his victim- a tall brown-haired young man with dull blue eyes. He clutched at the knife wound, grinding his teeth in pain. "It's a pity," the murderer whispered, "that you didn't lock the door. Didn't anyone tell you Albel's come to town?"

Blue eyes opened wider in revelation. "You're the serial killer!"

Albel smirked and pulled his knife out of the man, pressing it against his throat. "And you're next." He pushed the knife into the struggling man's throat, driving it further until the victim's shallow breathing stopped.

"You're one of the lucky ones," Albel whispered, looking down at a cross necklace the man was wearing, red drops of blood had landed neatly on its surface, reflecting it's shining silver color. Without another word, he dropped the body to the floor, staining the white tile a bloodier shade. In the deadly silence that followed, Albel stepped over the body and walked out of the house, leaving the lights on and the door open, a crimson trail of footprints following behind him.

Albel walked down the street into his car, parked on the street right outside his victim's house. He was confident he wouldn't get caught- Albel didn't make mistakes. Mistakes were a human thing. And Albel wasn't human. Albel was a demon sent from the darkest depths Hell for one purpose- to kill and to incite war.

_But then_, he thought to himself. _I have made just one mistake. Fayt. _As Albel started his car and drove off, he nodded to himself._ Loving him is a mistake, but it's a mistake I'm willing to make. In the scheme of things, he means nothing. He's just as weak as any of the other humans I kill unless I protect him. But I haven't protected him for the last two weeks, have I? _Albel bit his lip. _Stupid church retreat. Stupid human family. I just hope he's ok._

The small, black car pulled up into a church parking lot. Albel parked neatly and climbed out into a cool fall night. The church loomed tall next to him, cryptic in outside appearance. Spotlights illuminated a wooden cross in the lawn in front of it, giving it an ethereal glow that by night could seem almost intimidating to a non-believer. Above, a sliver of a moon looked down at Albel from a star-speckled sky.

People were scattered about the parking lot; kids who had just come back from one of their camping trips- the kind Fayt's family made him go on so he could learn about the Bible. He spotted Fayt in the distance, looking up at him. Albel nodded at him, and Fayt ran up to him, throwing his arms around Albel. "Hey," Albel whispered softly, pushing Fayt away, "not here, remember?" He smiled sadly at Fayt and they both knew Albel was just as glad to see Fayt as he was to see Albel.

Fayt dropped his arms and nodded. "I missed you," he whispered, looking up at Albel. He was fidgeting with his hands like he was about to lose control of himself, and Albel took his hand and led him behind a row of bushes planted against the church, out of sight from the rest of the people.

Before Fayt could do anything, Albel had him pinned against a wall, tongue prodding at his lips. The tension that had been building up over the past two weeks was shattered like glass thrown to the floor. Fayt wrapped his arms around Albel, breaking their kiss to rest his head on Albel's chest, not even noticing that he was getting streaks of blood on his face. "Never leave like that again," Albel whispered, wiping the blood off Fayt's cheek. "I was… I mean, you were so far away, with all those religious people…"

Fayt smiled and stretched up to kiss Albel's cheek lightly. "Are you trying to say you were worried?"

Albel scowled. _How should he know what I'm trying to say? _But whatever Albel tried to tell himself, he knew Fayt was right- he was worried. And Fayt could only tell because he knew Albel for who he was and loved him. Fayt knew that Albel wasn't human, and was on Earth for one purpose- to kill. But it was something like love at first sight, and in any case, they managed to see each other secretly while Albel carried out his duty.

The blue-haired boy must have noticed then that Albel had just been busy murdering, because he pulled away slightly and ran his finger over a bloodstain on Albel's shirt. "Were you… killing again?" he asked softly, tilting his head, innocent emerald eyes staring up at Albel.

"Yeah," Albel whispered. "You know I have to." He leaned in, lips almost touching Fayt's. "I promise, I won't ever hurt you."

Fayt nodded, reaching a hand up to touch Albel's face. "I know you won't…"

"And neither will anyone else," Albel reassured him. "Or I'll kill them." Albel had always protected Fayt, going so far as to kill anyone he felt threatened Fayt in any way. If he was going to be in love with a human, no one was going to hurt him without paying for it with their lives.

Fayt smiled and kissed Albel. "I should be going home. I can sneak out tonight, alright?"

"Damn right you will," Albel whispered, hands tangling in Fayt's hair, passion flickering in his eyes.

Fayt raised an eyebrow at Albel. "Come on, let's get out of here." He slipped out of the bushes, followed by Albel, and instantly it was as if nothing had happened and they were just friends. Albel led Fayt to his car and they climbed in, taking off from the church.

Albel had a hard time keeping his hands off Fayt after two weeks, and was prone to driving one-handed, the other arm around Fayt's waist. They stopped at Fayt's house, not too far from the church, and Fayt leaned in, kissing Albel one last time before climbing out of the car. "I'll see you tonight," he whispered, lingering over Albel for a long moment, before stepping outside and closing the door.

With that Albel drove away, allowing himself a long sigh of relief. Fayt was still unchanged. Somewhere deep in his demonic heart he was always afraid going away with church people would change Fayt. He had heard stories about people who went to church and suddenly started believing- Albel was almost positive God did something different to them. If he did Albel hadn't figured out what, but the idea kept him on edge. What if God himself were to try to intervene in his relationship with Fayt? Now that Albel was on Earth, God could attack him or Fayt anytime he wanted. _Damn Him, sitting up there all powerful and mighty. He doesn't know what it's like to be one of these people, or one of the damned._

The only reason Albel was even allowed to be on Earth was to kill. Because hatred and war would bring them closer to the end of the world. _The end of the world…_ The implications of the words were huge. Should the world come to an end, all "good" beings would go up to Heaven and evil would inhabit the Earth.

_As it should be_, Albel thought, making a sharp turn, his face back to it's usual grim expression. _We've been stuck in Hell too long. The Earth can give us what we need. With the Earth, no one will have to suffer in Hell anymore. _Albel nodded to himself. _Not too much longer._

He pulled up to the small blue house he was living in, parking the car on the side of the street and walking inside, throwing his keys onto a counter-top and walking out to a porch on the side of the house. Cool wind whipped in his hair and Albel leaned against the railing of the porch, looking out on the empty neighborhood.

_And once the world ends, me and Fayt won't have to worry about getting caught. _It was one of the smaller effects of the world ending, but in the last few years it had become important to Albel. Fayt's family was devoutly Christian. Even if they thought Albel was human, they wouldn't want Fayt to be with him, and it was a struggle for them to hide what they did. Fayt pretended he was dating a girl from school- a young, pretty brunette with soft green eyes and a constant smile plastered on her face.

_Sophia. _The mere name filled Albel heart with hatred and jealousy. Fayt had no feelings for her, but she believed they were in love. Albel was perfectly aware of all this, but he could still remember sneaking into Fayt's school, intent on murdering some kid who was violently trying to steal Sophia from Fayt.

As much as it had pained Albel to kill someone over Sophia, he couldn't let anyone hurt Fayt. But what had stuck so painfully in his memory was catching Fayt kissing Sophia between classes. It was nothing more than any other couple, but it was the image of them kissing that was a sharp bullet of jealousy driving straight into the center of Albel's heart.

And still, that wasn't the worst of it- it pained Fayt as much as it did him. He sometimes told Albel about how guilty and dirty he felt, even though Albel knew about Sophia and he wasn't really cheating. It was times like that when Albel hated himself for what he was doing to Fayt. _Ever since we met, his whole life has changed. He was confused before, but now he's certain he's on the wrong side._

All Albel had to do some days was look in Fayt's eyes to know he was more confused than he had ever been. _He doesn't know where he belongs anymore. Here he is trying to live a normal life on Earth, and he's in love with **me.** _

_And because of me, if the world doesn't end before he dies… he'll go to Hell. _The humans who died and went to Hell went through everything the Christians claimed. They were forever burning, screaming in pain until they lost their voices, and then they shouted silently. Seeing Fayt like that would be too much for Albel to take. _But there's nothing we can do to stop it,_ Albel reminded himself. A million times he had thought and re-thought the whole situation- God, the end of the world, Fayt and Sophia. And never once had he thought of a way for them to be together without the delicate balance between seeing each other and hiding what they had.

Suddenly there was a bright flash of light behind Albel. He spun around to face its source, crouching slightly into a fighting position. A white, glowing cloud descended from the starry sky. Standing atop the cloud, glowing just as brightly, was a being that was unmistakably an angel. He had long, flowing blonde hair, a glowing halo, huge white wings, and soft golden eyes that to any human would seem kind.

But it wasn't the angel that put Albel on edge. It was Fayt standing next to him, a rusted chain tied firmly around his neck, the end of it held in the angel's hand. His head was hanging down, and it was obvious he hadn't been taken willingly. Albel tried to stayed cool, kept his eyes off Fayt. "What do you want?" Albel asked the angel sharply.

"I'm taking him," the angel answered, his soft, kind voice in sharp contrast with the words he spoke. "You've become attached to this boy- don't think the Lord doesn't notice these things. You are a demon, and when you are in love it is powerful in all the wrong ways. Without this boy you won't be able to go on."

_Shit._ Albel still kept cool and smirked at the angel. "You think you can stop me? We all know the end of the world will come soon with or without me."

The angel frowned disapprovingly and gave Fayt's chain a tug, causing him to jerk his head up and look at the angel for a moment. "Do you not love this boy? Don't you see, demon, that if we take him he will never come back to you, whether the world ends or not?"

Albel bit his lip. "Maybe I do have some feelings for him. What do you want from me?" He dared to cast another glance at Fayt. His face was painted with the dark shades of fear, eyes not holding a trace of hope as he looked down at Albel.

"You will never get him back so long as you serve Satan," the angel answered firmly. "Convert demon, and corrupt him no more! Come into the light and repent!" The angel finished, shouting, pointing an accusing finger at Albel.

Crimson eyes filled with pure, unbridled hatred and Albel spat at the angel's feet. "Never," he answered bitterly, and with that he let loose and attacked like only a demon from the darkest depths of Hell could.

Albel grabbed the angel's ankles and pulled him off his cloud, catching Fayt with one arm, aware of the fact that the angel held the end of his chain. Whipping out a knife, he sliced the chain in half while pinning the angel to the ground with his foot. "Run, Fayt!" he yelled as the angel leapt up and engaged in a fast-paced fistfight with Albel.

Fayt started to run away, and Albel smiled in satisfaction, punching the angel firmly in the nose. Beings that came from Heaven never could fight as well as those from Hell- it wasn't in their nature. But the angel must have known that too, because he snapped his fingers and two more angels appeared around Fayt.

Cursing under his breath, Albel ran to Fayt, abandoning his fight with the first angel. He slammed a hand into one angel's shoulder, heard a crack, and used the hand to flip himself over the angel. Albel landed neatly, and pulled Fayt in towards himself, hugging Fayt against his body while holding the knife out.

"Any of you fuckers wanna come after him, you better be ready to kill me," he threatened.

One angel, a younger man with blonde hair that fell around his face in layers, stepped forward. A bold, serious look was plastered across his features, hazel eyes offering a challenge. "You don't scare us, demon," he declared, voice unwavering. "Sin all you want; you can't stop God's angels."

Albel smirked at the boy. "You sure about that?" he asked. In one swift motion, Albel pulled out a throwing knife and tossed it right into the heart of the angel. He felt Fayt's breath catch at the sight of blood pouring from the angel and remembered he had never seen Albel kill before.

Another angel ran at Albel, leaving the wounded one lying on the ground gasping for breath. He pulled a sword out from a sheath Albel had failed to notice and narrowly missed Fayt. Albel hissed and sliced the angel's arm open with his knife, one arm still around Fayt.

Suddenly Albel felt a sharp pain in his back, sharp enough to make him drop Fayt and fall to the ground with a shout of pain. Albel turned his head and saw an angel standing above him, a bloody knife in his right hand. He caught his breath for a moment, just looking at the angel. The angel smirked, and Albel looked up at Fayt, the boy's eyes wide with fear. _I won't give up, I don't care if it kills me; I'll just go back to Hell. Fayt's more important._

"Damn mortal body," he muttered, rising slowly, eyes blazing with hatred. "I'm still not letting you take him," he declared, pointing his knife at the angel, his outstretched arm shaking with pain. He could feel blood dripping from the wound, felt the gaping hole in his back, and chose to ignore it.

The angel laughed. "You'll be in Hell any minute now, don't bother trying to save him." He stepped forward to take Fayt.

Rage consumed Albel's dying body, and he drove the knife firmly into the angel, yanking it out to slash his throat open. The angel faded away, rising back up into heaven in a soft beam of light. "You think you can take him? No fucking way am I going to let your dirty hands touch Fayt." Albel's voice was harsh, his vision darkening as he felt himself slipping

The remaining angel smiled at Albel and again snapped his fingers. Five more angels came down and descended upon Albel all at once. Fayt looked around at them, a hint of fear creeping into his eyes- he was unarmed and surrounded by angels with knives and swords.

Albel would swear for the rest of eternity that he would have held off all the angels that got in his way that night if he hadn't been in a dying human body. He was mad; he had never had more cause to fight in his existence. Three angels fell and returned to Heaven before Albel became too weak to fight.

He fell to the ground, struggling to rise even as he did so. "It's okay," Fayt said softly, kneeling beside him. The fighting slowed, three angels crowding around the two lovers. "I know you have to go."

Albel tried to sit up, and fell against Fayt, staring up at him. "They can't… take you," he croaked. "Hand me my knife."

Fayt shook his head, tears filling his eyes. "Albel, please, don't fight it. Go back to Hell, and I'll go to Heaven with them."

"No!" Albel gasped for breath, lungs heaving up and down. "I have to try, give me the knife, I'll stop them." Everything was blurred, Albel didn't know if he could fight or not anymore, but he _had_ to try; it was for Fayt.

Fayt ignored his request. "I know you tried Albel; I know you love me." He pushed hair out of Albel's eyes. "It's gonna be okay."

Albel blinked hard, trying to clear his vision. A knife lay next to him; he picked it up and held it out at one angel. "You bastards won't touch him until I'm dead."

Something flickered in the angel's eyes that even Albel noticed. He looked to his companions, then spoke slowly and deliberately. "Your dedication is admirable. I'll let you be with him until you die, but then we're taking him."

"You know I'll come for him, don't you?" Albel stared the angel in the eye. He nodded, and then fell into silence.

Fayt nodded gratefully and pulled Albel into his arms. "I love you," he whispered. "Even if I don't ever see you again, I love you." Fayt leaned in and kissed Albel as he closed his eyes and let the last of his breath fall onto Fayt's lips.

A second later, Albel was landing neatly on his feet, crouching against the hot jet-black rocks that made up the floor of Hell. The pain of his mortal body was gone; the warmth of Fayt still lingered on his lips. He breathed in deeply, cleared his mind.

He pushed himself off the ground and looked around. He was in the middle of Hell, one of the hotter parts. But Albel didn't mind the heat- demons could handle it. Besides, what was more important right now was finding Satan.

As if on cue, the devil appeared in front of Albel, probably to find out why he was back already. Satan was a tall, pale man with messily spiked black hair, and eyes the color of blood- he was admittedly good-looking. Despite having been around for eternity, Satan still had the appearance of a young man, maybe twenty years old. He was clothed in a long, black trench coat that suited him well, with black combat boots that made him just a little taller.

"Back so soon?" he asked, clearly annoyed, staring down at Albel.

But at that moment, the devil himself wasn't going to intimidate Albel. "Damn right, I died fighting," he snapped.

Satan shook his head, closing his eyes for a moment. "What the fuck did you do that for? You should've run if it was getting that bad."

"I made the worst mistake possible." Albel let out a long sigh and locked eyes with Satan. "I fell in love."

Silence fell over them. "With who?" Satan asked quietly, assessing Albel.

"This boy, Fayt. God thought it would make me weak not to have him. He captured him. Angels came down and thought they could just take him, but I fought until they killed me." He sighed, biting his lip. "And the truth is, it will make me weak. I need to get him back."

For a very long moment, Satan studied Albel's face, considering his words. "Are you sure you love him? And he loves you?"

Albel nodded. "I'm positive. He knows exactly what I am and what I was doing up there. He's fine with it, I need to get him back!" Didn't Satan understand? His expression was calm, not bothered by Albel's outburst- as if he had seen the same thing a million times.

"Have you ever heard of a demon falling in love?" Satan asked quietly.

After a second of thought, Albel answered, "The angel said something about when a demon falls in love…" He looked to Satan for confirmation.

Satan sighed again, as if this was all mildly troubling to him- never once had Albel seen Satan break his cool exterior, even when punishing someone. "It is time I shared with someone the true meaning of sin and love. Demons fall more deeply in love than any other creature. You love that boy more than he can even comprehend. Does that bother you?"

Albel shook his head. "No, not at all. He really does love me, even if it's not as much as I love him."

"Are you sure?" Satan asked, a hint of accusation creeping into his tone.

"I'm positive," Albel answered firmly. "If he didn't love me, he would have left me a long time ago." He smirked at Satan, silently letting him know they had been through more than enough to confirm their love. And they had- each had risked everything for the other, and neither had a shred of regret about it.

Satan understood and nodded. "You've heard of the Seven Deadly Sins?" he asked, and Albel nodded. "Love drove all of them to become what they are. Albel, when a demon like you is in love, the results are never good. Love drives us all to the brink of insanity, and few return. I know you will want to get the boy back, but you aren't strong enough. Can you give up, just this once?"

_Could I give up Fayt? I've worked so damn hard to stick by him, no matter what happens. To give him up now would be impossible, I need him, I couldn't go on without him, it would be impossible. _Albel stared into Satan's eyes, not a trace of fear in his expression. Without hesitating, he asked Satan, "Can a human give up breathing?"

Satan smirked at him. "Then I hope you're ready for war. It's been a long time coming; a war on Heaven, but if I let you go up there, you know there'll be a fight."

"Then we'll have a god damn war with them, if that's what it takes to get Fayt back on Earth." Albel was ready to fight with everything he had, even if it meant he would have to take on all the angels in Heaven by himself.

"I know you want to go up there and wreak havoc on them," Satan began slowly, "But you aren't ready. I want you to wait seven days. You must meet each of the Deadly Sins. They will each tell you their stories and show you how their love made them sinful. You will use your love as a weapon, because love is the reason you're fighting."

"A week?! I can't leave him for a week! Let me go, I don't need-" Albel silenced himself as Satan put his hand up.

"A week," he said firmly. "It will do you good. Albel, you're by far my most powerful demon. But you're young."

"_Two thousand years_-" Albel began, and was stopped by Satan again.

"Is young in the scheme of things. This war is about a rivalry that's been around for millions of years." Satan shook his head. "I know we don't age in appearance, but you have a lot to learn. Physically you're strong, but you're hotheaded. Combine that with love… No, you can't go just yet. You need to learn how to use love to your advantage. It can be done at times like this."

Albel sighed. "Fine. I'll go visit your Sins, but it better be damn well worth it."

Satan chuckled. "I assure you, you'll get your boy back. Go back to your house tonight, it's been awhile. Tomorrow morning I want you to visit Wrath. It'll be the easiest for you. When the sun sets, come find me."

Silence filled the space between them for a moment, the impact of their decision settling in. "Yeah," Albel said softly, "I'll do it."

He turned around, eyes scanning the familiar landscape of Hell. It was a city built of crumbling black stone with flames leaping up from the ground; the whole thing was illuminated by a red sun. Buildings were scattered about it, demons, vampires, and other creatures of Satan living in them. Satan himself lived in a castle in the very middle of Hell where the flames were the highest.

For nearly two thousand years Albel had lived here. Just five years on Earth, just three years with Fayt, and everything had changed. All it had taken was one boy, one cold winter, and suddenly Albel was ready to charge into Heaven and incite a war beyond any the humans had ever dreamed of.

**Heaven**

They put Fayt in his own room in one of Heaven's hotels and told him everything was going to be okay. It was a beautiful city, he had to admit even as shocked and beaten and angry as he was. Clouds of light pastel colors surrounded tall silver and white buildings. People walked slowly, enjoying the cool evening. Children laughed and played in the greenest grass Fayt had ever seen. Flowers of such great beauty the people of Earth wouldn't dare to dream they existed grew everywhere. Waterfalls gently cascaded down rolling hills, their shining surfaces reflecting all the colors of the clouds.

And yet, Fayt looked upon the scene from his window with tears streaming down his face. Albel was gone and he was in Heaven, alone. _He'll come for me. I know Albel, he won't leave me alone. He loves me, he always will._ It was some comfort to Fayt to think about Albel, to imagine he was there with Fayt.

Green eyes looked over the room. _He would be leaning against the wall, smoking and telling me the evils of the people in Heaven. And then he would throw the cigarette out the window and get me over to the bed._ A small smile tugged at the corners of Fayt's mouth. _Not much of an emotional person except when he needs to be, but I love him for it._

"Albel," he whispered the name softly and let the breeze carry it away. "Save me."

**Author's Note: **Ah, the drama, the angst, the yaoi, the blood. For sure, this is a Tolanya fanfiction. Now, I had two plans of attack going into the next part. One: Write seven short chapters and post them really fast. Two: Write one long chapter that would take perhaps more than two weeks. I'm going with option two, even though you'll see less of each Sin. It means you won't have seven short chapters that will somewhat throw off the focus of the story. We must focus on saving Fayt!! Happy Halloween, people! Make sure you review, and encourage small children you're giving candy to read and review!


	2. Seven Sins

**Disclaimer: **Santa Claus is going to bring you all coal. Worship him anyway, and leave lots of cookies.

**Date Posted** December 1, 2006. I'm sorry I have failed you all.

**Author's Note: **Here is your deverely delayed chapter two. Expect more from me at this end of this chapter.

**Seven Sins (Because Tolanya is very, very original)**

It was a long, nearly sleepless night for Albel Nox. He dreamt vividly of Fayt, waking between dreams to find that Fayt wasn't there. It was sunrise when he set off towards Wrath, and the city was red with the glow of the rising sun.

The Seven Deadly Sins lived in a tall, thin, crumbling black tower with no windows. It was known as the Tower of Sin. They were rarely seen outside except for Lust, who was known for leaving late at night and finding vampires to sleep with. Why he had a fetish for vampires wasn't understood, but no one questioned the Sins. Without them, the rest of Hell would have no one to look up to, no one to show them how far sinning could go.

Albel reached the doors of the tower and pushed them open. The first floor was Wrath's- whether it just happened to be that way or Satan had somehow made it, Albel didn't know. He stepped into the dark room, eyes scanning the area. Torches were lit along the walls to illuminate the space; there was no furniture. Wrath sat cross-legged in the middle of the room, his eyes firmly shut. When Albel entered, his eyes opened in an instant and he glared at Albel.

Wrath was tall, even sitting down. He wore long, black pants and a long-sleeved black shirt with one sleeve that had been torn off, presumably in a fight. Long silver-blue hair fell over blazing navy blue eyes as Wrath rose and stared at Albel. "You," he said in a low voice. "You killed her."

Before Albel could ask who he had killed, Wrath was fighting him. For a second Albel wondered if Satan would want him to fight the man he was supposed to learn from, and then his instincts took over. Albel pushed Wrath to the floor and tackled him, holding him down. "Who did I kill?" he asked intently, struggling to keep him pinned down.

Wrath pushed Albel off of him, and punched him firmly in the ribs. Albel ignored the blow and swung back at Wrath, knocking him over. Wrath came right back up, kicking Albel's shin in the process. "What the hell did I do?" Albel asked, ducking under Wrath's fist. "Who did I kill?"

The Sin stopped fighting and stared Albel in the eyes. "Brittany. The girl I loved." He tried to get up again, and Albel kept him held down. With a sigh, Wrath explained. "I'm supposed to tell you why I'm Wrath, right? To help you understand?" Albel nodded. "That's why," Wrath spat. "You killed Brittany, and now she's burning in Hell because of it."

Albel bit his lip and looked down at Wrath for a moment before letting him go. "I killed someone who… loved one of us? But I tried so hard not to kill anyone who would become one of us."

Wrath made an annoyed noise. "I was just a demon until about a year ago. I was up on Earth, trying to find out some shit about the church for Satan, when I fell in love with Brittany. Well, remember the last guy who was Wrath? He solved whatever problem it was that made him so angry the same day you killed Brittany. I did what you did; I came right back to Hell and begged Satan for help. He told me he couldn't do anything, and I was pissed. I destroyed a bunch of shit, tortured anyone I could find, even people who were already suffering in Hell." Wrath let out a long sigh. "Satan found me and told me then that I would be Wrath. That was all."

"So how can I be angry? How can I be like you?" Albel asked, gaze fixed on Wrath. It seemed, at that moment, strange to him that he had been sent to become more like Wrath, to become more like a man who was suffering. But if that was what it took for Albel to get Fayt back, that was exactly what he would do.

Wrath looked up at the ceiling for a long moment, thinking. "The boy you love, what's his name?"

"Fayt," Albel answered, eyeing Wrath doubtfully. "Fayt Leingod."

He made a noise acknowledging Albel's answer, then thought for another long moment. "You're really in love with him, and he's in Heaven?"

Albel nodded, answering the obvious question. _Would I be here if I didn't love him?_

"Do you feel bad about what you did to Brittany?" Wrath asked, glaring down at Albel.

"Yeah," Albel answered more quietly, looking sympathetically back up at Wrath.

"No you don't," Wrath answered. "You don't feel bad." Albel raised an eyebrow at him and said nothing, not wanting to do the wrong thing in front of one of the Sins. Wrath explained, "If you really love this boy who was taken to Heaven, there's no room for regret. You've got to be damn sure of what you're doing, and you've gotta be pissed off. You think I felt sorry for anyone I hurt when Brittany was involved? Hell no! If you love him, you're just gonna have to hurt some people."

Albel nodded; it made perfect sense the way Wrath explained it. _I need to focus on Fayt and not care what I do to anyone else. Haven't I been doing that on Earth? And now that Fayt's in danger, I have to focus even more. I'll have to hurt more people._ "Yeah," he agreed. "I think I can do that."

Wrath smirked. "Good. One more thing, if you're really going to understand how to be angry like I am." He stood up, shook his hair out. "Follow me."

The Sin led the demon out of the tower and through the winding streets of Hell. Demons stared, whispered, as they saw Wrath, out of the tower for the first time in a long time. Albel followed him silently, lowering his head and watching Wrath's feet walk swiftly across Hell. He stopped suddenly, pointing at something ahead of him.

Albel looked up and locked eyes with the thing he was pointing at. It was a girl, no older than 16, obviously a human rather than a demon. She sat silently by the roadside, looking back up at Albel with dark brown eyes like she wasn't hurt at all. Albel looked at Wrath for an explanation.

"Don't you remember killing her?" Wrath asked, not meeting Albel's eyes. "This is where she'll be until the end of the world. Do you understand now, why I'm angry?"

"I understand," Albel said quietly. _God, if Fayt were like this, I would be just as angry as he is. _"She won't show the pain in front of me?"

"Not at all," Wrath answered. He was silent for a moment. "Albel, if you're going to fight God, and maybe end the world… I wish you luck. All of us in Hell are right behind you."

"Thank you." Albel turned and left Wrath there with Brittany, feeling already that he knew more than he had before. _Satan said to go see him._ Albel looked up, the sun was still low in the sky- Satan had been right about Wrath being easy for him to learn.

He came to the devil's palace and found Satan sitting outside, obviously waiting for him. "Back already?" he asked, then nodded to himself. "Good. You know, you were considered as a possibility for being Wrath."

Albel smirked. "He's better off as Wrath then I would be. Who should I see next?"

"Go home and try to figure all this out. Tomorrow you'll see Envy." Satan studied Albel for a moment. "You've got just enough jealousy, but you'll need much more. After you meet Envy, you'll come back to me."

Albel nodded and left Satan. _One day down, six more to go._

Heaven 

An angel came in to see Fayt. "He was bad for you. Do you know where he is now?"

Fayt looked up at the angel from his spot by the window and shook his head. "How should I know?"

"He's only becoming more sinful. He's _trying_ to be more sinful. They've made him angry now. Angry beings only do harm. He'll hurt you." The angel spoke with a degree of certainty Albel would have told Fayt only fools had. Only fools, he would say, could be so certain their side was the right one without ever questioning it.

Fayt laughed. "No, I don't think so. I think it's you that Albel's going to hurt."

Hell 

On the morning of the second day, Albel was already awake. He hadn't slept at all, his mind had been too filled with thoughts of Fayt. _Just one day. He could be alright still. That, or he's already suffering. Who knows what God will do to him? He might try kindness, he might get angry… he's too unpredictable…_

Envy lived on the second floor of the Tower of Sin. Candles of every shade of green filled the room, they stuck to walls, stacked neatly on top of each other, hung from the ceiling. The flames flickering inside the candles were green too, and it gave the whole room a soft green glow. _Maybe he likes the irony of it._

In one corner of the room, Envy sat on a large wooden chair with a silky green cushion. Envy was a girl, in fact; a rather small girl. She looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years of age, with an admittedly pretty face. Her skin was tanned, she had dark green eyes, and her hair was long and straight, in various shades of green. She wore a tattered green dress, though she still had a look of importance about her.

"You're Albel, aren't you?" she asked casually.

"Yeah," he answered, sitting on the ground below her.

She sighed and looked at him. "That means you're in love. I wish I could be in love…" Envy sighed again, then continued. "What do you know about jealousy?"

Albel frowned. "I don't know. I guess I get jealous."

Envy nodded and examined one of her nails. "That's good. Do you know what's happening to your lover up in Heaven?"

"No, I have no idea." Albel replied.

Envy smiled slowly, a sly sort of smile. "Was he ever with anyone before you?"

Albel caught his breath a little, and nodded. "This girl, Sophia. She's… his girlfriend. But he doesn't love her, I know he doesn't!"

The Sin laughed, just a small laugh. "You're jealous of her, then. Do you think God will let him see her? Do you think God wants them together, rather than you and him?"

"I don't know what he wants," Albel answered evenly. "I suppose he would rather let Sophia have him…" If Envy wanted to show Albel what jealousy was, all she had to do was mention Sophia. She realized it, they both did.

"The angels will do their best to convince Fayt it is not you he should be with. They will try to change him, to turn him to their side. God will do His best to make sure Fayt does not go back to you. Do you know where Fayt will go then?"

"He'll… you think he'll go with Sophia?" Albel asked uncertainly. He had never thought about what would happen if Fayt left him, it didn't seem likely to happen.

"I don't know Fayt, I've only known boys and girls in similar situations. You have to be jealous, you have to wonder if he'll leave you. Knowing other people want him is the only way to appreciate the fact that you have him." Envy studied Albel closely. "Do you have him?"

_Of course_, Albel's mind quickly answered. _Fayt loves me, they couldn't make him question it… Could they?_ "I love him," Albel answered firmly. "I know I love him."

"_Sophia_ thinks the same thing!" Envy stood up and stared down at Albel. "Sophia doesn't know about you, she doesn't think there's anyone else but her that matters to Fayt! You should envy her, because you have every right to. You should envy the angels who are up there with Fayt while you're down here, because they're closer to him. The only way to love him is to be jealous."

"I… am jealous." Albel looked around at the room, the flickering green flames. "I'm jealous of all of them, and I want Fayt back."

"Yes, that's it!" Envy smiled. "Be jealous of everyone if that's what it takes. It's what I had to do for love; envy is what got me through everything. Do not forget that."

"I won't," Albel promised. "I'll get Fayt back, I know I can. And I can't let him near Sophia ever again."

Envy nodded. "You learn fast. Now go, and be jealous of all of them."

Albel stood and walked to the door, which led to a ladder that took him to the ground again. He climbed down, past Wrath's room, and walked back to Satan's palace, just as he had done the day before. Again, Satan was waiting for him. "Wrath and Envy are on your side now. Pride is next."

"Pride?" Albel asked uncertainly. "I thought Lust…"

Satan laughed. "Lust should have been first or second, shouldn't it? But no, Lust is last."

"Satan-"

"I know what I'm doing," he interrupted. "Lust will be last. You'll understand, don't worry."

"Of course." Albel didn't entirely trust Satan's judgement, but he was willing to do whatever it took for Fayt. He spent the remainder of the day practicing with knives.

Heaven 

Another angel came, this time with food. Fayt ate quickly, and the angel sat silently and watched him. "He's in Hell," the angel informed Fayt when he was done. "Jealousy has consumed him."

Fayt smirked. "He's always been a jealous man."

"Not like this, because now they've told him he must be jealous of everyone. Even us, who barely see you." The angel waited for Fayt's reaction.

He stayed calm. "I'm not worried. Albel will come back for me, we all know it's true."

"Will he?" The angel looked at Fayt, her hazel eyes softly drilling into his soul. She turned and left him alone, shutting the door.

Fayt looked out the window, down at the city of Heaven. Everyone looked happy, everyone looked like they belonged there. "Will he?"

Hell 

Pride was the third floor; Albel had expected it. Where Envy had filled her room with candles, Pride had merely built a sort of fireplace on the far wall. Albel stepped in to find Pride sitting there calmly, stirring the ashes of the fire.

"Hello, Albel," he greeted. He seemed normal enough. Pride came in the form of a tall, slim man with spiked hair so blonde it was nearly white. He wore a dull orange sweatshirt and faded jeans; a silver earring glinted in his left ear.

"Hello." Albel walked up to him, looking down at Pride.

"Sit down," Pride invited, and Albel sat. "So you're here to learn about pride. It's a great sin, it's a little different from the others. See, with pride, you don't have to be miserable. Just proud."

"How will it help me?" Albel had learned to be patient, to let the Sins explain things their own way.

"If you aren't proud, no one will notice you. If you give them even one chance to bring you down, they will. If you're proud, if you don't let anyone stop you, then no one will stop you." Pride smiled kindly. "Are you proud of who you are?"

"I don't know," Albel answered. "I've killed a lot of people, I'm proud of that." He flashed his trademark smirk. "I failed Fayt, and I'm not proud of that. I should have killed those angels, too.

Pride studied Albel carefully. "But you're going to save him. You should have no doubts about that."

"I have no doubt that I will save him," Albel answered evenly.

"Good. Let me tell you my story. It's been a long time since I've told anyone." Pride leaned forward, brown eyes gazing into the fire.

"I was a human until the year 2004. I was twenty years old." He sighed happily. "I was in love, too. Much like you, I was in love with a boy. He was the same age as me, and he was beautiful. He had gorgeous eyes, and that was what did it for me. They were a sort of blue and purple color; there was nothing else like it."

"I didn't care who knew we were in love. I was young and reckless, I still am I suppose. His name was Nick. We had been together since our senior year of high school. I remember how the other kids picked on him, and how mad I would get. But never once did we apologize to anyone; we didn't care what they thought. I went to college to study psychology, Nick was an artist. We still shared an apartment, we saw each other every day."

Pride smiled, reminiscing. "It was a nice little place. The walls were covered with these beautiful paintings by Nick, he was always taking them down and putting up new ones. But our neighbors, they were… less than kind. We never thought anything would come of it. But one day I was out late, studying. Nick stayed up to wait for me, he was always waiting for me when I got back."

"As soon as I got to our apartment, I realized something was wrong. When I opened the door, Nick would always leap up and run to hug me, and we would say how much we missed each other after just those few hours. It was silent when I opened the door that day." Pride bit his lip, as if it was hard for him to tell suddenly.

"He was lying on the floor, nearly dead. There were bruises all over him, and his head was cracked open. I ran to him, and I told him I loved him and asked him who did this to him. He... said he loved me too, and told me who it was. The lived next door. Nick died after just a few minutes."

"I was afraid. If they would kill Nick over something like that, what would they do to me? And then I told myself that Nick was dead and I had nothing left to fear. They couldn't take anything more from me but my own life. I went right into their house, holding Nick's body, and I shouted at them, 'If you're going to kill him, kill me too, because I'm not sorry for what we did.'"

"They killed you, then?" Albel asked, but he already knew the answer.

Pride nodded. "I died full of pride. I don't know exactly where Nick is right now, but it's somewhere in Hell I'd guess. I got lucky, Satan told me I would be Pride."

"I'm sorry," Albel said.

Pride shook his head. "Just be proud. Proud of who you are. The people on Earth, the ones like us, they still can't be proud. They're struggling. We have to be proud of what we are down here. Be proud that you're in Hell." He paused, then asked, "How's your boy in Heaven?"

"I don't know how he is now. He was afraid sometimes on Earth, but I hope he won't back down in Heaven." Albel smirked. "He'll put up a hell of a fight if that's what he has to do."

"And you're proud of him for it?"

"Never been more proud of anything than him." Albel smirked again, and he knew it was true. He _was _proud of Fayt and he _was_ proud of who he was. Pride was right, he had to be.

"I think I've told you all you need to know. Good luck." Pride turned back to his fire, taking a log from a pile by the fireplace and throwing it in.

Albel stood up, glanced at Pride one more time, and left. He could feel himself changing now, he knew he was more sure of himself than he had ever been. _Only four more sins. Four more days, and I'll see Fayt again._

Satan noticed the change too, because when Albel walked in, his head held high, Satan smiled. "You're doing well. Greed is next. It may challenge you; you're not the sort of demon who's power-hungry."

"I'll do my best," Albel answered coolly.

"I know you will," Satan answered.

Again, Albel spent the day with his knives.

Heaven 

The angel that came in this time was beautiful. Even Fayt noticed it. She was almost as tall as him, with a delicate face like a porcelain doll. Soft brown hair fell over her shoulders, and she smiled flawlessly at Fayt when she walked in.

"Sophia," he whispered. "They made you an angel?"

Sophia smiled back at him. "Yes. The night you disappeared, an angel came to me and told me I could become one of them. He told me you were in Heaven. I accepted his offer. Fayt, I met God Himself!" She was radiating joy. "He told me to come and see you... He said you have something to tell me."

"They're testing my courage," Fayt whispered to himself. He stood up, and looked down at Sophia. She stepped towards him, wrapping her arms around him, and looked up as if expecting Fayt to kiss her.

"No," he said firmly, pushing her away. "I don't love you. I'm in love with someone else. He's in Hell right now, but he's going to save me from this place."

Shock filled Sophia's eyes. "No! You can't be!" she shouted, backing away. "I love you, why would you do that to me? You're lying, it's not funny!"

Fayt smiled. "No," he agreed, "It's not very funny. But it's true. I don't love you, and I never did. I'm in love with Albel."

"Albel?" she asked tearfully. "Who's he?"

"You know all those people who died in our town, all the chaos it caused?" He grinned. "That's Albel," Fayt told her simply.

Sophia ran out the door, and another angel walked in. "Fayt, you must learn better," the angel scolded softly.

"I don't want to."

"You love Sophia," the angel told him. "God knows these things better than you."

"Aren't you supposed to be bringing me news of Albel?" Fayt asked, annoyed.

"Pride. He learned of pride today," the angel condescended to tell him in an equally annoyed voice.

Fayt smiled. "Good. I expect there are only four more days until he comes."

Hell 

Greed's room was slightly larger then the other's. It was decorated in light blue, and it was full of stuff. It was the only room with a window, though the window was a small hand-made hole covered by blue curtains.

Greed herself sat in a large, cushioned chair beside a fireplace bigger than Pride's, and Albel got the feeling he wasn't going to like her. She wore a frivolous blue and white dress, and had long, curled blonde hair. Her skin was ghostly pale, and she had light blue eyes.

Albel stepped in, and greeted her with a reluctant, "Hey."

She flashed a plastic-looking smile and welcomed him.

"Just tell me what I need to know," Albel snapped.

Greed sighed and shook her head. "Some of you… demons have no manners," she remarked, ignoring Albel's demands. "Would you like some tea?" She gestured at a dainty white table adorned with a blue tablecloth and two dainty white chairs around it. A teapot sat in the middle of it, and a cup and saucer was at each place with a lacy blue napkin.

Albel raised one eyebrow. "No."

"Here, come sit at the table." Greed moved to the table and Albel sat down across from her. "I suppose we must talk of some rather unpleasant things."

"I suppose so," Albel said sarcastically.

Greed ignored her guest's rudeness and went on. "I am a greedy person, I admit, but I was not always. I was a peasant in the 1600s in England. My life was a sort of classic romance tale. I fell in love with a handsome noble boy when I was a young girl. He married me, though it was not the proper thing for him to do. He would lose social status because of me. I was aware of this."

"I changed my ways, to become one of them. I adopted greed, not because I wanted to, but because I had to. If I wanted to stay with him, I had to be greedy. Not just for money, but for love. Do you understand what I am telling you?"

Albel nodded. "Yeah. Your greed wasn't the need for money, it was the need for love."

She smiled. "Exactly." Greed poured herself a cup of tea, and one for Albel, which he scowled at. "Enough about me, what about you? Why do you want to be like us?"

"Oh, a boy," Albel answered. Before Pride, he might have hesitated- this woman was from the 1600s, they were homophobic then. "I'm in love with him, you see, and he's in Heaven. I have to learn how to be a better demon to get him back.

Greed smiled. "We have more in common then one would think, then."

Albel shrugged. "I guess."

"Would you consider yourself greedy?" she asked, still acting oblivious to Albel's annoyed attitude.

"No. I was never greedy."

"Do you want that boy to love you?"

"Yeah," Albel answered. "More than anything. And he does."

Greed smiled. "Then, are you greedy for his love? Would you do anything for him, or for him to love you?"

"I… Yeah." Albel nodded. "I would."

"Use that. All of this is about greed, greed is what is controlling you in your search for a way to save him. It's not the kind of greed most of us think of when we think of greed, but it is greed."

"How is that shit going to help me?" Albel kicked a loose piece of stone across the room, and Greed frowned.

"Don't you understand? If you aren't greedy for him, then you would have nothing. I want you to imagine your life if you didn't want the boy to love you."

Doubtfully, Albel pictured it. _The night I met him, I would have ignored him. But no, I would have loved him, and he wouldn't love me. If he didn't love me, I wouldn't have cared about him, expect for the sex. What made him different was that I actually wanted him to care, I cared if he cared about me. Ultimately, we would have either left each other, or I would have left him to die a few winters ago… I would still be killing people, and he would be with Sophia…_ Newfound envy surged up, and he understood what Greed was saying.

"We wouldn't be together. Greed keeps us together, in a way." He shook his head. "I never thought of it like that…"

"Keep that greed," she told him. "Keep it very close. Without it, you two would fall apart. You may go now."

Albel stood and left silently, having gained a small amount of respect for Greed and her insight. Satan was pleased with him again. "You're learning very well. You have three more sins to go. Do you miss Fayt?"

"Of course I do," Albel answered. "You know that."

"Yes, I do." Satan looked around, then back at Albel. "Gluttony is something you're not very familiar with, correct?' Albel nodded. "I hope Gluttony himself can make you see it differently, much like Greed did."

"I do too."

And another day passed, Albel growing another Sin wiser.

Heaven 

Sophia came again. This time it was her turn to give Fayt news of Albel. "He is greedy," she told him, trying to keep her face blank.

Fayt smiled, looking at her from the bed he lay on. "Wonder how they got him to do that one." Then the smile faded and he looked out the window, remarking, "I don't know how much longer I can go without him."

"You will never see him again," Sophia told him, sitting on the edge of the bed. One hand touched Fayt's face, and he didn't move. "Because you're in love with me. God told me so. He never lies."

"Oh really?" Fayt asked. "He's never lied to any of us?"

Sophia shook her head, and Fayt laughed. She pulled her hand away and stood up. "They say it won't be long before you realize you love me." She walked out the door and shut it firmly.

"It won't be long before I go mad in this place."

Hell 

Gluttony was nothing like Albel expected. He was tall and muscular, and it was obvious he hadn't been a Sin for along- he dressed in a more modern fashion than Greed. His black hair was styled into a mohawk, he wore all black. He had a lip ring and another piercing in his nose.

Albel smirked at him as soon as he walked in. The room was lit by orange candles that were at least four feet tall, some higher, with wax dripping down their sides into puddles on the floor.

"Hey," Gluttony greeted casually. He sat on a black cushion on the floor, and Albel sat next to him. "Gluttony is kind of a stupid sin," he remarked right away.

Albel laughed. "Isn't it your sin?"

"Yeah," he answered. "I should probably give you the whole story behind it and all, but we both know gluttony and love don't really have much to do with each other."

"That's… true," Albel replied.

"It's more like greed, isn't it? I mean, my situation was different, things got weird, gluttony and love were mixed." He laughed a little. "I don't know what to tell you about it, honestly. Do you like food?"

"Sure," Albel answered. "I don't hate it."

"Cool. Do you drink?" Gluttony asked.

"Yeah," Albel answered.

Gluttony nodded. "And what about this Fayt dude?"

"Not until he met me."

"Bingo, there you have it." Gluttony smiled. "You taught him something new, and that was drinking. It's kind of important to your relationship, isn't it?"

Albel shrugged. He had to admit, Gluttony was a likeable person. He was laid-back, casual, and had no idea what he was talking about. "Yeah, maybe."

"Can I assume he was drinking the first time you had sex?"

"Yeah, he was. Not much, though." Albel frowned. "It probably changed things, at least a little bit."

"Yeah, man, everything changes things. Like, all the little details add up, and without some of them, you wouldn't have what they add up to. Y'know?" Gluttony looked at him.

Gluttony was surprisingly right, and Albel nodded. "So that's what you're going to teach me?" He held back an amused smirk.

"Dude, it's what I just taught you. Appreciate alcohol, mmk?" He waved Albel away. "Hope you learned something."

Albel raised an eyebrow. "No story? No speech about how this makes sense?"

"Nah, I think you get the picture. Satan didn't really send you to me to learn about Gluttony, he sent you here to learn that a lot of things could have changed your relationship. Didn't I just prove that to you?" Gluttony smiled, and Albel got the familiar feeling of something suddenly clicking in his mind.

"Yeah, you did." Albel smirked. "Thanks."

"No problem, man. Hey, say hi to Sloth for me. We aren't allowed to leave the tower and see each other."

Albel scowled. "You can't leave the tower? What about Lust?"

Gluttony shrugged. "He gets out sometimes. Satan's trying to hold us back until 'the time comes.'" He shook his head. "The guy never tells us anything. It's all 'Go wait in this tower, I'll let you know when I need you.'"

Albel smirked. "I know what you mean. I'll tell him." With that, Albel climbed down the tower, marveling at Gluttony's logic.

Satan looked amused when Albel came back. "So you met Gluttony. Interesting guy. Hope he taught you well."

"He did," Albel assured Satan. "So Sloth is next?"

Satan nodded. "Tomorrow. You're free for now."

Heaven 

A new angel came in to see Fayt. He was sitting by the window, watching the city. "Sophia is very distressed," the angel told him. "She is beginning to doubt that you love her. We sent her to Jesus."

"Good for her. What was Albel's sin today?" Fayt asked.

"Gluttony. Could you really love someone who aims to learn gluttony?"

Fayt smiled. "I suppose so. Besides, all he has left is sloth and lust. Will I see him after that?"

"No," the angel answered. "He will not make it to you."

"Then, he'll try?" Fayt nodded. "I thought so."

The angel stepped forward, towards him. "You are foolish if you think he will succeed. One demon against all God's angels doesn't stand a chance."

Fayt smiled faintly at the angel. "You've never met Albel."

Hell 

Sloth had to be the strangest of the Sins yet. Albel walked in and stopped short. Sloth was a boy, no older than sixteen. His hair stuck out at odd angles and was in a dark and light shade of purple; the dark one matched his eyes. He wore a sleeveless shirt with large horizontal purple stripes that matched his hair and faded jeans. Sloth had no shoes, only purple socks. On his hands were finger-less purple gloves.

"Hey!" he greeted cheerfully from the only piece of furniture in the room- a large purple sofa by a fire pit in the middle of the room. "You're that Albel guy, hmm? So you just saw Gluttony, didn't you?" He spoke quickly and excitedly.

"Yeah," Albel answered. "He told me to say hi."

Sloth smiled. "Is that all?"

Albel nodded. "That's it. You and him… are friends?"

He laughed. "Lovers," he corrected.

_Gluttony and Sloth… makes sense._

"Come on, sit down. I'll tell you all about it." Sloth gestured at the spot next to him on the couch. Albel sat down and turned to Sloth, waiting. The boy thought for a moment, then began his story.

"We were both human in the beginning. He was a rebellious sort of guy, I'm sure you noticed. We went to school together. When we finally admitted our feelings for each other… we realized we were gay." Sloth grinned. "I love him," he remarked. "Isn't he great?"

Sloth's short attention span became suddenly obvious to Albel. "Yeah, he is. So you realized you were gay, and then what?"

"Well, we didn't want to do anything but be with each other. We mostly stopped going to school, because we didn't want to. We just stayed with each other, almost all the time. I guess that's how I got to be sloth. I don't do much of anything, just sit around with Gluttony."

Albel tried to derive some sort of meaning from his story. "So you're saying all you needed was each other?"

"Exactly! Nothing else was important at all. I guess if that makes me lazy, I am, but I don't want to do anything else but be with him." Sloth smiled. "So what's the story about you and this person you love? Satan didn't say much."

"He's in Heaven," Albel explained. "I'm going to bring him back."

"Aww, good for you!" Sloth clapped his hands together. "I hope you do it."

Albel smirked. "So do I. Is there more I need to know?" he asked.

"You love him more than anything else?"

"More than anything," Albel replied firmly.

"Then don't let anything get in the way of that. No matter how important that other stuff is. That includes all this stuff about the end of the world. He should be more important." Sloth was serious suddenly, purple eyes staring solemnly at Albel.

"The end of the world will save all those people-"

Sloth shook his head. "You can't care," he interrupted. "Not if you want to be focused enough to save Fayt. It can matter later."

Albel sighed. "You're right. Fayt's more important than them. He's in Heaven, and he shouldn't be."

Sloth smiled. "Good. Anything else you need to know?"

"No. That's all," Albel answered. He got up and left Sloth there, climbing out the door. The boy called out a good-bye, and Albel reached the ground, returning as he did every day to Satan.

"You're almost done," Satan remarked as Albel approached him. "Just one more day. I want you to train harder today. You must be ready; you must not miss a single throw. Every knife must hit its target. The day after tomorrow, you will attack."

"I will," Albel assured him.

He never trained so hard in just one day.

Heaven 

Sophia came again. Fayt stared up at the ceiling with blank eyes, stretched out sideways across his bed. "He's almost done, isn't he?"

"Yes," Sophia answered calmly. "Will you come home to me?"

"You aren't home. Albel is. What Sin was he today?" Fayt didn't even glance at Sophia as he spoke.

"Sloth." She sighed. "I love you, ok? I want you to know that, no matter what happens."

Fayt didn't move as Sophia bent down and fixed his hair. He didn't move as she kissed his lips softly. He didn't move as she stood up and left.

Hell 

For the last time, Albel awoke at sunrise and went into the Tower of Sin. He climbed the ladder all the way up to the seventh floor, and entered the last room.

Lust was by far the most beautiful of the Sins. He was slender, with a wiry sort of build. Smooth hair in a rich tone of crimson fell around his face; deep amber eyes looked seductively up at Albel. His skin was smooth and pale; a small smirk crossed over his features. He wore a tight-fitting black dress shirt with half the buttons undone and a pair of blue jeans.

Albel realized immediately why Lust had been saved for last. It had been three weeks since he had slept with Fayt. Lust _would_ be the hardest Sin to get past. He swallowed and stepped forward. "I'm Albel. Satan sent me," he said evenly.

Lust raised an eyebrow and stepped forward, one hand reaching out and touching Albel's face, examining him. "I see," he answered. "I was expecting you."

"Shouldn't you be telling me your story?" Albel asked, keeping calm outwardly.

He frowned. "I supposed I should. Come here." He beckoned Albel forward to a sort of bowl in the back of the room with a fire burning inside it. Besides that, the only furniture in the room was a bed in the far-left corner.

Albel stepped towards the fire and looked up at Lust. The flickering firelight made him look more attractive, and Albel didn't, couldn't, stop Lust from kissing him fiercely, his tongue reaching into Albel's mouth instantly. Lust pulled his lips away, leaned his body against Albel's, and whispered, "Are you sure you want to go to Heaven? You could stay here with me." His hands were on Albel's legs, moving up and down them.

_Fayt. You're here about Fayt._ Albel wanted to push Lust away, he knew he did. But he _wanted_ Lust too; he was never good at controlling himself. "No," Albel said firmly.

"What, you're too in love with him?" Lust asked, pulling Albel closer. "You want to learn about lust, don't you?"

Albel shook his head. "Show me how to save Fayt." His self-control was wavering, his determination to save Fayt faltering. Lust was here, right now, ready and willing. Fayt was in Heaven, Albel would have to fight for him.

"You really want to save him?" Lust asked. In one smooth movement, he spun Albel around and shoved him against the bed. "Stay here." His voice was commanding and begging all at once, and he was pushing Albel onto the bed, kissing his neck.

_Remember what the others said? I love Fayt._ Albel gathered what control he had left over himself and flipped Lust over, holding him down against the bed. "I'm not staying with you. You have something to tell me, and then I'm going back to Fayt."

Shocked flickered briefly in Lust's eyes, then he smiled. "Much better. You can let me go now." When Albel didn't, Lust laughed. "Lust," he remarked, "is powerful. You have to learn to control it. I see that you can."

Albel sighed and let him go. "So what do you have to tell me?"

"Not only is lust a powerful sin, it is one you have to have the right balance of." Lust stared up at Albel, a serious expression on his face. "Too much, and you'll cheat on the boy you love. Not enough, and you two won't be close enough."

Albel nodded. "Of course. How do I do that?"

"I take it you've already slept with him?" Lust asked.

"Yeah."

"With you, it's a control issue. If you really love him, you can keep yourself to him. The temptation to be with someone else shouldn't be there at all, no matter how long you haven't seen him for. You can't expect to have sex all the time." Lust sighed. "If you just like having sex, it won't do you any good. If you like having sex with him, you've figured it out."

Albel scowled. "That's impossible. Even you can't do that."

Lust shook his head. "You're right, I can't. The boy I loved, Wesley, I couldn't sleep with him."

"Why not?" Albel asked.

Lust blinked hard and looked away, his eyes landing on the flickering fire. "I died from AIDS."

_And he didn't want the boy to die too… _The story finished itself. "You… cheated on him?" Albel looked to Lust for confirmation.

He nodded. "I didn't want to, but I _had_ to. I never told Wesley I was sick until I was dying. I was in the hospital, and he came to see me. 'Why are you dying?' was the first thing he said. I told him; I told him everything. We both cried the whole night, but he forgave me. It was two in the morning when he looked at me and said 'I still love you.' I died an hour later."

Albel looked up at the ceiling and breathed in deeply. Of all the Sins, he had no doubt Lust was the one whose love was strongest. He knew himself, he knew his own weaknesses and he had made sure they never hurt Wesley. _That is exactly what I have to be like. If I want to save Fayt, I have to give up everything else. I have to let it all go and fight for him. That's what all this has been about, that's what it is._

"I'm sorry. Do you know where Wesley is now?" Albel asked.

Lust shook his head. "I don't think he lived much longer. I had this feeling… About a week later, I just knew something had happened to Wesley. I don't know what, but I want to have him back. I need to."

"When the world ends, you'll find him again. I promise you that much." Albel didn't know what convinced him it would be that way, but the end of the world was the end of all things besides those in Heaven and Hell. There was no way Lust wouldn't find Wesley among all that.

Lust smiled weakly at him. "Thank you. You may go now. You have an important task, don't you?"

Albel nodded and stood up. "I have to go save Fayt." He turned away, inhaled deeply, then strode to the door, opened it, and climbed down the Tower.

He climbed past Lust's room, where he had learned control and heard the story of lovers torn apart. He climbed past Sloth's room, where he had learned to love nothing but Fayt. He climbed part Gluttony's room, where he had learned to appreciate every little thing that had happened to him and Fayt. He climbed past Greed's room, where he had learned to need Fayt. He climbed past Pride's room, where he had learned to be proud of his love. He climbed past Envy's room, where he had learned to love Fayt as his lover and no one else's. He climbed past Wrath's room, where he had learned to fight for Fayt.

And then his feet hit the ground of Hell. Hell, where he had become a part of the fight for the cause of the demons. He could never turn back from this. This was where he belonged, with the demons. _But this isn't where Fayt belongs. He is of the Earth, and I'll stay there with him as long as I need to._

Albel turned and walked to Satan again, took the path for the last time before saving Fayt. He arrived at the devil's front doors and pushed them open, stepping inside. Satan sat on his throne as we always did, and Albel walked to it. "I'm done," he said evenly. "I'm ready to save Fayt."

"And you're ready to start the war?" Satan asked, leaning back in his seat and eyeing Albel judgmentally.

"I don't care about your war. I just want Fayt back. If that means I become part of a war, I'll fight for you like I always have."

Satan smiled. "We attack tomorrow."

Heaven 

Sophia was there again, standing in Fayt's doorway. She came in silently, but Fayt knew she was there. "Hello," she greeted calmly. Everything in Heaven was always so calm, so flat. Fayt watched the people from his window every day, watched them lead their flat lives. It wasn't that they were miserable. It was that they were happy. Always happy, never anything but happy.

Fayt looked up at Sophia from his spot next to the window. "Lust," he said, voice void of emotion.

She nodded. "Are you afraid?"

"Always," he answered. "But today, today is a day for a different kind of fear."

"A different kind of fear?" she asked.

Fayt nodded slowly. "I've never been afraid Albel would leave me before."

**Author's Note:** I apologize immensly for the ridiculous delay, but there is good news! Christmas fanfiction! Or bad news, if you don't like Christmas fanfiction… heh. Anyway, I will be writing one as a prequel to this story to answer unanswered questions about how Albel and Fayt met and all that stuff. I actually really like Christmas. It's pretty cool. So look out for that, and then sometime (hopefully soon) after Christmas I'll be putting put chapter 3.

Review and ye shall receive cupcakes.


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